The National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior (NIA) hosted the 2023 Border Management Seminar at the Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport on October 25th, featuring the themes of "International Cooperation in Border Enforcement" and "Technologies for Border Management: Single Token." The seminar was held for the first time in 3 years after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 130 experts and delegates of foreign and domestic government entities and airlines companies joined the event.
Knowledge and experience were shared by experts from the American Institute in Taiwan, the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong, and the Netherlands Office Taipei, covering border management, combating human smuggling, and the latest trend of "Single Token" technology served as a tool of contactless immigration clearance for the post-pandemic era.
Facial Recognition Fun Quiz
During the seminar, guests were invited to play a fun game of facial recognition quiz. In the game, participants were provided with 2 headshot photos that looked very alike. To score, participants must figure out whether those faces belong to the same person or not. Some participants scored beautifully, while others failed the quiz. Through this game, participant experienced what it felt like to be an immigration officer, whose daily routine required high expertise, skills, and knowledge in facial recognition.
e-Gate Evolution to Better Facilitate Immigration Service
During the opening speech, Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-An pointed out that in border management, strengthening security and efficiency has always been the top priority. In Taiwan, biometrics data has been used to identify travelers since 2011 with the establishment of 1st-generation e-Gate. Today, the 3rd-generation e-Gate not only allows qualified travelers to self-register in the gateway, but also has been expanded to serve all travelers while exiting the country. The 4th-generation e-Gate is on the way next year according to the NIA, which aims to shorten the time needed for immigration clearance.
Workshop for International Cooperation
Deputy Minister Wu emphasized that strong border security protected the citizens of Taiwan, and meantime demonstrated to the world Taiwan's capability in law enforcement. In the seminar, participants from various countries conducted extensive discussions on the latest trends and development in immigration clearance. In the future, the NIA will continue to maintain close relations with partner countries to exchange management skills to consolidate Taiwan's border security.